Ice prince
by Northernryu
Summary: Sasuke&Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke. His pride as an Uchiha always gets first in line before anything else. Will Sasuke learn to know what is more important than pride before he loses everyone he cares for, all over again? Can he break his own ice...?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: The characters of Naruto and settings are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto not me.

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Prologue

'_Tch! Life sucks! Hokage giving team 7 missions with team 10 and team 8! On top of that,_ I'm _their team leader?_

Sasuke, with an irritated look as usual, strode up the mountain with 8 others, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

Four times he had to turn his head around to stop Sakura and Ino shouting at each other, sick of hearing their complaints, annoyed by Shikamaru not attempting to help out since he was too lazy to, and Chouji just continuously eating.

To make situations worse than it already sounds, they were trudging up snow mountains, knee deep, to travel up to the land of ice which was over these mountains.

As for Naruto, he was way ahead of everybody with the amazing stamina of his, so his usual loudness wasn't there beside Sasuke to piss him off the edge of a cliff. Right beside Naruto was the next barking dog, Kiba who unusually didn't say a word and let his dog, Akamaru, run ahead for any news before them.

The none-speakable Hinata and Shino just followed mutely behind Sasuke without complaint.

"It's soooo cold~!!" Ino wailed, giving a big shiver," and we're going too fast. I can't take it! Let's take a break, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke turned around and glared at the frozen blue eyes of Ino's, who looked like a pathetic little kitten, trembling head to toe, identically Sakura beside her with intent in her emerald eyes that seemed to hold the same suggestion as Ino's.

"We're not even half way," Sasuke said exasperated, " if we don't keep moving, we won't reach there before night fall."

"But-"

"If you think you can't take this, go back. I don't mind," Sasuke repeated these words which seemed to him like the thousandth time and faced his back, coldly on the girls, who, Sasuke knew, wouldn't give up leaving.

'_Such stubbornness! They shouldn't have even come in the first place!'_

The snow started to fall heavier in a 45°angle as the sky became darker as if warning the team to go no further. The weather was starting to turn into a dangerous blizzard, telling them to retreat back to Konoha, which even the great Uchiha was starting to have difficulties in seeing where he was going and tramping hard on the deep snow that already came up past his knees.

"Akamaru says the weather conditions are gonna get worse. We should find a cave or something and stay put till the blizzard calms down," Kiba translated his dog's words who was whining lowly, shivering inside Kiba's jacket like a baby kangaroo in its mother's pouch.

"We don't have _time_," Sasuke demanded.

"There is no option, Sasuke," Kiba argued to which Sasuke glared, before nodding.

-

They all started heading towards an ice cave on the mountain side near the top which Naruto found with a large shout of excitement like a toddler, moments ago.

They were almost there when and air splitting scream was heard from behind.

"_Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_"

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**Ryui:** As you can see, Sasuke's being a real prat. This story is mainly based on his attitude. I've already finished writing this one so it should only last for nine chapters or so. This prologue was short, but the chapters will be a bit longer.


	2. Chapter 1:Bad start

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Disclaimer: The characters of Naruto and settings are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto not me.

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They were almost there when and air splitting scream was heard from behind.

"_Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_"

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Chapter 1:Bad start

Ino, the food-carrier, slipped and nearly fell off the edge of a slippery cliff.

Sakura and Shino just made it in time to close their hands on Ino's wrists.

The two pulled her up and saved her although their food storage was gone, dropped deep down into the grey atmosphere where none could see the pit.

When everybody settled inside the ice cave, the snow was piled up to block the entrance from icy painful wind intruding into their cave.

For emergency uses like this, Sakura had a backpack with a few logs, matches and a first aid kit, along with other things. She built a fire -with Sasuke's help of his Katon, goukakyu no jutsu- in the middle of the cave and everybody was visible before the cave blinded their eyes from even seeing shadowed figures of everybody else.

Everybody sat round the fire while words were sealed in everybody's mouth. The only sound that was heard was the slightly muted blizzard on the other side of the built snow wall, the fire crackling every now and then, and Ino's quiet sobbing. Sakura was by her side, patting her back in comfort.

"It's okay, Ino," Sakura said, soothing Ino who seemed to have been whispering 'sorry' over and over again for the lost food storage since she had all the responsibility for it.

"It's no _really_ okay if we're going to be stuck here for more than a day, Sakura," Sasuke corrected, harshly.

What Sasuke said, was the truth, but had hurt Ino's feelings deeply as she felt guilty even more than before, sobbing harder.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun…"

"Don't sorry me. Sorry yourself," Sasuke retorted.

"That's not a thing to say to a guilty hearted comrade, Sasuke!" Kiba growled.

"It's her fault if we die from hunger, Kiba," Sasuke shot back.

'_If that useless blond didn't come or retreated in the first place, we didn't have to go through this problem of losing food!_ Sasuke added in his thought.

"You are supposed to be are leader and is _supposed _to look after the team, helping and supporting the teamwork, _not_ talking to comrades as if they're _sh*t_ for mistakes which could've happened to anyone, like what _you're_ doing right now!" Kiba boiled up.

Sasuke became hot-headed and retorted back quickly, "so if we're out of food and starving, you're wiling to sacrifice your _dog_ to save your _comrades_?_That's_ called _teamwork_ you know."

Sarcasm was dripping from every word coming out of Sasuke's mouth.

Kiba's face flushed in anger and was near limit of emotional control as he stood up and Akamaru hiding behind Shino's back.

"If you have nothing else to say other than giving a damn crap about others, I suggest you shut that mouth of yours!" Kiba shouted.

Sasuke sent a glare back into Kiba's glaring eyes.

"Make me," was the couple of simple words that made Kiba lunge forward, only to be stopped by Shino, before he landed any punches on Sasuke.

-

By the time it was nightfall. Kiba was sitting furthermost away from Sasuke, deepest into the cave that was a daed end while Sasuke, nearest to the entrance, refusing to join the others around the fire. He was still pissed by the leader change and how smoothly things have gone from then on.

-flashback-

Kiba didn't stop actin like a mad bull struggling to get away from Shino until Naruto stood before him, facing Sasuke,

"Oi, Sasuke! Stop being an ass! Kiba's right! You're the team leader and you have to stop team split ups. Not i_create_/i them. If you can't do that, you're not qualified to be the leader!" Naruto demanded.

"Fine. You be the team leader then. I'll help no one whatsoever and hand all the teams responsibility up to you. I'll go with the saying, 'Jibun no mi wa jibun de mamore*," Sasuke lastly said before becoming a non-speakable and a non-reliable.

＊'If it's your life, save/protect it yourself'

Naruto, as told, became the leader and rounded the group up to make them huddle around the fire. All except Sasuke and Kiba listened to Naruto's orders. Naruto couldn't go to more than two people at once, so he used kagebunshin when each pair or single found a space for themselves.

Naruto soothed Ino along with Sakura, who eventually was able to pull a small smile on her lips that were slightly blue from the cold. Another Naruto was with Chouji, asking for him to share his chip packets –since he brought extra for his own because he was voracious than others- around to everybody to which Chouji agreed to. Shikamaru helped Naruto pass food to others, including Sasuke who refused to eat. Hinata and Shino sat near their squad comrade, Kiba, while Naruto asked if there was anything he could do after giving them some chips. They shook their head in response with a small smile from Hinata.

Naruto was doing a well job, making most people satisfied and at least moving around, taking action that was fat better progressed than Sasuke.

-end flashback-

Naruto walked over to Sasuke who still refused anything and everything, ignoring people, mostly Naruto.

Naruto was the least person Sasuke wanted to talk to besides Kiba. But knowing that Sasuke isn't a person who can meddle together with others very well, Naruto stayed by his side.

No one knew which Naruto was the real one and which one was the kage bunshins, but Sasuke a feeling that the original Naruto was beside him.

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	3. Chapter 2:Getting worse

Disclaimer: The characters of Naruto and settings are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto not me.

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Ryui: Review please. Tell me what you think of it. If it sucks, that's absolutely fine. And answer me this: do you want me to finish the other stories first before I start this one?

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Chapter 2: Getting worse

Daring himself a chance, Sasuke took a glance at Naruto who, to Sasuke's relief, had his eyes closed with a faint smile formed on his lips. To hell if Sasuke knew what the dobe was smiling about in this freezing, starving, caved in and imprisoned situation. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the sight and sighed inwardly.

-

Two days had actually passed and the blizzard still didn't feeling like wanting to stop violating the white outside world. All empty stomachs growled, demanding food eagerly, and occasionally having unison and a threesome. The girls especially were losing heat, and fast. Lips blue face pale, and hands white as if no blood circulated through that area, shaking non-stop. Naruto's stamina didn't last for a day holding the kage bunshin no jutsu, so in order to help the shivering, fragile girls, Naruto as a leader gave an order to the members to huddle up, two boys to one girl.

Shino and Kiba embraced Hinata tightly, who hadn't had enough spirit to be blushing about, but was hugging her arms tight and had curled up into a small ball. When Naruto made the order and the two boys came up to se her, she gave a quiet word of appreciation.

"Th-th-th-thank y-you, K-k-k-Kiba-kun… Sh-sh-Shino-kun…" She stuttered, more than usual from the coldness.

Shikamaru and Chouji picked themselves off the icy floor and sat right beside their team mate, Ino, and embraced her tighter than the other two boys, since Ino looked the worst out of all the people there in the cave. Her lips were noticeably i_purple_/i. No longer blue. Her face was ghostly white and her eyes were a fazed blue, almost matching the icy ground they were sitting on. Her breath was coming out in small parts and looked like she was about to lose herself, but she managed a small smile and thanked her two team mates.

Naruto hugged Sakura with himself and a kage bunshin since Sasuke refused to embrace a girl, an action of showing affection, no matter what the case was. He was too prideful to do such things which in Sasuke's dictionary, the action came under the word 'sissy'. Even the hyperactive dobe didn't find enough strength to shout over of a useless match of raising voices and thought of a waste of energy to force Sasuke to use team work which he never does.

Naruto was mad but Sakura gave a small understanding smile and said that it was okay, her emerald glint in her eyes dimmed however, with slight sadness.

-

After sometime, Naruto found that Sasuke was shivering from the coldness.

'_That stubborn bastard!_' Naruto thought as he made out another kage bunshin to go to Sasuke.

When Sasuke felt a hand on his shoulder, he shot open his previously closed eyes and spun his head around with a vicious glare along with a whispering snarl, "_Don't touch me, pervert'_

'_Per…?_

Naruto had put his hands up high before Sasuke even said those words.

"Don't worry Sasuke. It's not like I'm gonna _rape_ you," Naruto said with a quiet tone, matching Sasuke's volume so only Sasuke could hear, and smirked, jokingly following Sasuke's suit of choice of words.

And with that, Naruto dissolved with a poof of smoke, undoing a bunshin.

Sasuke faced away with a sharp snap and clung onto the blanket that was thrown over his shoulders.

-

On the third day, the blizzard slightly calmed and a rescue team had come to find them, but since they were weak and so low on their chakra, they couldn't be found. By that time, Ino was in a coma state and Hinata at lowest chakra supply from using her Byakugan time to time to search for any rescue teams. When she saw them, she told the others but the cave entrance had thickened and hardened that they didn't have time to get out before the rescue team left. With weak force, Kiba kept trying again and again, trying to use his Gatsuuga with the lack of chakra and energy, scraping the entrance wall. Even when Hinata informed that the rescue team had retreated, Kiba kept digging at it until he made a connection tot the outside world after a few tiring hours. A very strong icy wind blew in, telling the people inside that the blizzard had started up again, and gave a reason to why the rescue team had retreated so quickly.

"_Where are you going!?_" Naruto demanded, noticing that Kiba was moving forward, out of the cave.

Kiba glanced back over his shoulder.

"I'm gonna try and get help," Kiba said.

"You'll die out there," Sasuke declared, without looking up to Kiba's glaring face.

"Sasuke's right," Naruto said, "don't go now. At least wait till the blizzard stops, Kiba. You'll just die out there if you go now."

Naruto's eyes pleaded Kiba but Kiba's judgement was dominant over his decisions.

"It's worth the chance than biting your nails and hoping for someone to come and rescue us. It's been three days and they had a team to search for us. Since they didn't find us, they're gonna assume that its too late to save us. I'm not going to let that happen," Kiba said firmly.

"But Kiba-"Naruto started to protest.

"Let him be," Sasuke said dully, from his head hung low beside his arms that were held up by his knees.

Kiba could hear Sasuke's dullness in his tone and knew that Sasuke didn't care less about Kiba's death.

"If I make it, someone will help you guys soon, If not, I'll probably be sleeping on the mountain side for good," Kiba said, with a grin.

"_This is no time to be joking, Kiba!_" Naruto growled.

"I'm not joking. Wish me luck," Kiba said with a serious face, and with that, he disappeared out of sight, accompanied by Akamaru who was to be Kiba's navigator.

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	4. Chapter 3:Control

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Disclaimer: The characters of NARUTO and settings are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto not me.

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**Ryui:** Review please. Tell me what you think of it. If it sucks, that's absolutely fine. And answer me this: do you want me to finish the other stories first before I start this one?

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_"I'm not joking. Wish me luck"_

_-_

Chapter 3: Control

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Naruto looked petrified.

After a moment of silent shock, Naruto shouted to Sasuke an order.

"Sasuke! Go find Kiba and bring him back here now!" Naruto voice quivered in fright," he won't make it through his blizzard!"

"Not my problem. Just let him be," Sasuke answered, his lowered head not moving an inch.

"Sasuke-!" Naruto started but before he was able to go on any further, Sasuke was wrenched up and got a punch straight to his pale cheek with such force that sent him back to the ground. Sasuke's surprised look froze on his face as he looked up to see the person who owned that fist that collided with his jaw.

It was the least expected out of all, Aburame Shino. The one who barely speaks and let alone, move, except creating hand movements to form his insect jutsu.

Sasuke's surprised eyes melted and soon turned to his usual glare.

"Mad, are you? Why don't _you_ go and find your mate then," Sasuke sneered, "thought you're helpless without your bugs."

Shino glared down at Sasuke a moment longer before he started towards the cave entrance.

"No!" Naruto shouted.

Shino stopped and looked back.

"…Sasuke's right, and you need to be beside Hinata to keep her warm. If you go, Sasuke won't help Hinata. Only you can protect her. That's why I asked Sasuke to go," Naruto told Shino calmly.

Shino considered this, turned towards Hinata, and walked back to her.

"…thank-you, Shino-kun," Hinata whispered, not even having enough strength to stutter anymore.

"I'm the leader and you said you were fine by that. That means _you_ have to listen to _my_ orders, Sasuke," Naruto growled once he took his eyes off Shino and sent a glare towards Sasuke's direction.

"Don't you remember what I _also_ said after that, dobe? I said ' I'll help no one whatsoever,'" Sasuke sarcastically made his point for the second time.

"As long as you're with us, you're part of it. Stop acting like you're a team yourself, separate from us. Everybody in this cave is part of the team, If you don't want to be part of it, get out. And while you're at it, put some _effort_ into finding Kiba to prove that you're not _useless_," Naruto sarcastically shot back.

Sasuke glared hard at Naruto before moving outside.

Sakura suddenly jumped up and ran towards Sasuke.

She tied a rope on Sasuke's wrist.

"This will help you get back here," Sakura whispered, not able to bring out her voice.

Sasuke didn't pull away but didn't say a word either.

He stepped out and wen out of sight, not by Naruto's orders, but to keep himself away from Naruto for awhile. He had enough with Naruto's blabbering mouth and ordering him around with the loud voice of his.

The outside was freaking cold and Sasuke could barely see where he was going but he moved his stiff legs towards where Kiba might've headed.

Not wanting to admit it, but he _was_ worried.

Unlike others, Kiba had quite some stamina like a dog's compared with a normal human. That was why Sasuke let him leave in the first place. If it was someone other than Kiba who had tried to go and get help, Sasuke would've stopped that person. He would have stopped Naruto though, for another reason. Naruto has more stamina than Kiba, but since he's a dobe and clumsy, he would fall off a cliff or get lost in the snow, or so Sasuke believed.

But worried he was, even if it was that Inuzuka, he might not be able to make it.

Sasuke didn't show his emotions outside, visually, but inside he was worried about the death that may be caused by this weather. He didn't want to see anyone he knew die before his eyes, ever again. His whole clan killed in brutal was death enough.

-

"Wow you sure know how to control Sasuke," Shikamaru said in his usual lazy voice, but even i_his_/i voice sounded that he lacked energy too much.

Beside him, Chouji's stomach grumbled.

"Yeah," Naruto sighed as Sakura tied the other end of the rope onto Naruto's wrist before sitting beside two Narutos, "but I know he doesn't want anyone he knows to die. He's had enough of that already."

"H-hey, Shikamaru…" Chouji suddenly spoke out.

Naruto looked up, as did everyone else.

Chouji and Shikamaru's face were frozen with shock, their pupils tiny as if they saw something very horrifying.

Chouji was looking at Shikamaru, Shikamaru was staring at a random spot on wall of the cave, staring into space as if running away from reality.

The cave became tense.

"What's wrong, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, hesitantly.

It took awhile for Shikamaru to open his mouth, but when he did, his voice was only in a bare whisper.

"Ino's not pulsing…"

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	5. Chapter 4:Death after death

Disclaimer: The characters of Naruto and settings are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto not me.

This story is not true.

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_"Ino's not pulsing…"_

Chapter 4: Death after death

"_What!?_" Sakura screamed, or tried to, and dashed over to Ino -wherever her strength came from-, "Ino!!!!"

Sakura kept calling her name in the croaky worn out voice over and over again as tears splashed down her face. But everybody knew that Sakura's voice will never reach Ino's ears again even thought she was right beside her.

"…How can she die? She's strong… Ino's strong…" Sakura wept.

"It's… probably because she was emotionally unstable, blaming herself for the food supply that she lost," Shikamaru replied, also having a pair of streaming tears down his face.

Naruto started to walk towards Sakura to comfort her when he suddenly tripped and fell. If it wasn't a mourning funeral, everybody would have been laughing at Naruto, but there was another reason why everybody wasn't laughing at Naruto's clumsiness. Naruto was grinding against the ground at extreme speed towards the entrance as if he's getting vacuumed out of the cave.

"_Whoooaahh!!_" Naruto cried, and without a second thought, he did the seals for kagebunshin and four Narutos pulled the original Naruto who had a wrist that seemed like it was going to rip any moment now.

By the help of the bunshins, Naruto gained his stance and pulled the rope that led to Sasuke who was currently having the same ripping sensation on his wrist.

"Naruto! What's wrong!?" Sakura asked in panic as she dashed to Naruto's side.

"I think… Sasuke's… slipping," Naruto groaned as he tugged the rope.

Sakura and Chouji helped Naruto out while the left over boys kept by the girls' sides.

-

In the meantime at the other end of the rope, Sasuke stopped sliding down an icy slope of a certain glacier and started heaving himself up by pulling the rope with his other hand before his rope-tied-hand was lost forever.

Sasuke was dragged back to the top and into the cave where it was slightly warmer than outside, just slightly.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried and ran over Sasuke to the ground.

"Ow! Get off," Sasuke grumbled, but then looked down at Sakura on his chest and knew something was wrong with her. Sasuke slowly pushed Sakura to the side and looked towards Naruto as if asking for an explanation of why the flashing pink had suddenly changed to a dull, almost lifeless-like pink.

"Ino's gone," Naruto replied Sasuke's unasked question. Sasuke felt his whole body turn to stone after hearing that. A moment of silence passed when Sasuke's soul practically left his body, leaving it lying their rigid, before returning and pulling himself off the icy floor with much effort. His weak legs nearly gave way but allowed him to go back to the spot where he was before he left the cave, and sat down, burying his head like before as if meditating his soul quietly until the rescue team came.

"Don't you have anything to say!?" Shikamaru shouted –unlike himself- at Sasuke's back. Everybody was staring at Shikamaru like as if he's never shouted so much in his life before, which was true. But they could all see the hint that he was protective over Ino and perhaps he liked her _a lot_.

"…like _what?_" Sasuke coldly replied coldly, not even bothered to raise his head.

"Like hell I'd know! At least show that you actually cared for her, not being an ass and keeping your cool!" Shikamaru shouted. But this was out of the question for Sasuke since he wasn't able to lower his stoic mask himself. He gotten so used to putting the mask on, that it now stuck onto his face as if it was glued. Being so used to wearing it all the time that he couldn't even remember how to look, how to express his face at times like this.

"It would actually pay to show that you aren't putting your calm expression, trying to look cool!" Shikamaru kept at Sasuke until Sasuke turned around.

"It's not like saying something will make someone came back to life! It's not like if you beg and pray enough the person starts breathing again!" he shouted back, stating the obvious, smacking reality onto everyone in the room, crashing their heavy hearts further down. Sasuke turned back and leaned his forehead against his knees again, but this time, Shikamaru stayed silent.

Shikamaru saw the fraction of a second before Sasuke turned away, where Sasuke's eyes became watery with tears. Not only pushing a hard brick wall onto the others, but his own words crushed his heart as well, remembering the time he lost all his relatives.

Flashes of himself were seen in his mind as he shouted, the memories of his young self crying into the night sky with all the corpse of his beloved family and relatives around him, the time he spent in hospital mostly being himself praying for getting returned his parents, running back to the Uchiha residents every now and then to see if anyone had come back. The memories flooded Sasuke's mind so much that his eyes started gaining heat, and had tried to cover the fact that he was about to let out tears, but Shikamaru unfortunately had seen it, and was satisfied with the reaction.

Sakura went to Ino's side quietly, who was still held by Shikamaru, and Chouji held Sakura while Naruto chose to walk over to Sasuke.

Feeling Naruto's presence, Sasuke looked up, his tears cleared up by now.

"Where're your gloves, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"I-…lost it," Sasuke muttered lowly as if not wanting to admit the Uchiha doing such a clumsy thing matching a certain dobe. Naruto thrust his gloves to Sasuke.

"I don't need it," Sasuke immediately growled.

"Yes you do. You know I have Kyuubi inside me. I will be okay. Anyway, did you find Kiba?" Naruto asked in a hurry before Sasuke had anything else to protest.

"…no," Sasuke replied, looking away once again, not wanting to admit that the great Uchiha cannot accomplish one simple mission that the dobe gave.

-

Scraping the sides of the snow wall, Naruto collected the icy fragments and heated it on the fire to make hot water with the cups that Sakura had brought in her backpack. The fire was melting the ceiling and it was now to a point that there was no ice on it, but a hard rock cave ceiling with water dripping constantly.

Naruto walked around and gave the cups of hot water around, at that night when Naruto walked over to Sasuke. Sasuke looked up to see Naruto's tear flowing face. What Sasuke didn't notice was that Naruto seemed to go to Sasuke whenever Naruto was feeling stress of depressed and needing comfort.

"You're awake?" Naruto said, and with an effort he smiled wryly, giving Sasuke a drink. Sasuke only nodded in reply and took the drink.

"…we lost Hinata and Shino," Naruto whispered, answering Sasuke's unasked, dreaded question.

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	6. Chapter 5:Final Chance

**Ryui:** Sorry for the very long wait. I was busy throughout last year. I am going to be busy this year too so I am going to try and finish all the stories if I can by this month and maybe next month.

Thank you for reading, reviews and comments, always.

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_"…we lost Hinata and Shino."_

Chapter 5: Final chance

Sasuke felt a dagger rip through his heart once again. When Sasuke turned his face, Naruto had his eyes closed telling him that he fell asleep. Sasuke told Naruto to sleep and that he will take the night watch from here in his mind.

-By two mornings after that, Shikamaru and Chouji also left their bodies as well, leaving team 7 alone in the hollow cave.

The dark, cold night crawled upon them once again to breath out its icy white breath. Sakura was shaken up and was constantly weeping, calling for her parents with Naruto by her side while Sasuke refused stubbornly to join them and sat alone, away from them.

"I don't want to die... mum...dad..." weeps Sakura continuously as her tired arms rises again and again to wipe her fear filled tears, with all the comrades lying just as cold as the ice surrounding her until Sasuke reached his limit of patience.

"Shut up Sakura! It's hell annoying. And if you didn't realize, the one's left excluding you don't even have a family," Sasuke said coldly.

Sakura's eyes were wide with shock and from then on, she stifled her tears after apologizing.

Naruto smiled and told her not to worry, and that Sasuke was just being a jerk, although what Sasuke had said was right, and he _did_ kind of feel miserable while Sakura was calling out for her parents like a lost snow fox, mewling to be found by the mother out there in the snow, trying to find her dearest child. Naruto was more like a fox, all alone in the white, harsh blizzard, not knowing where he was, finding no use for his voice since he had no one to call. Knowing that no one will come to find him, it was almost as if he couldn't even figure how to use his own voice, even if he had one. Sasuke was just as bad as Naruto, a young fox over the corpse of the parents lying in the dead cold snow, howling with loss of hope until it feels even more helpless and useless and solitary when his voice is used up to the point that no sound came out from his mouth, having forced to shut up and forced to face reality of being alone all of a sudden.

-

"Sasuke…" Sasuke heard Naruto whisper behind him, and he heard the solemness in Naruto's voice, "Sakura-chan is…"

Naruto choked on his words, but Sasuke didn't need to hear it anyway, knowing what Naruto was about to say.

He looked up towards Naruto who looked all weary and tired, too tired to even shed tears for Sakura whom he held.

Sasuke saw that Naruto wasn't joking around and he let and angry growl as he hit the ice floor, making a few cracks.

_Why is everybody so damn weak!?_

_Why do the all have to die!? _

Sasuke was becoming mad at the thought. Seeing Sasuke upset, Naruto took his last bit of strength to crawl towards the pale raven.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered, getting colder every passing second with Kyuubi's chakra also losing fuel.

Sasuke's eyes glared automatically at Naruto but widened at the sight. Naruto close up was visibly pale and his lips were horrifically blue.

"Don't be…mad," Naruto said in huffs of white breaths," it's not…their fault… they couldn't…keep up…"

"Hn," Sasuke said before tearing his eyes away from Naruto who seemed to be able to read Sasuke's mind so easily at that point somehow.

"This must… be a great… place of you… _ice prince_," Naruto muttered, or rather puffed out sarcastically at Sasuke's coldness.

Sasuke was worried, but he didn't show that because he felt that it was admitting that he was weak. He was too _prideful_ for that.

The last living of the clan was to be weak and lonely, helpless and isolated and above all, a shame to the name of Uchiha.

What Sasuke didn't know, was what was more important than pride.

"I'm cold… Sasuke," Naruto whispered, "warm me up."

Sasuke didn't take any action so Naruto embraced Sasuke from behind instead. Sasuke was about to say 'get off' when Naruto started speaking first.

"Sa…suke," Naruto huffed where Sasuke couldn't help but notice the weakness in his voice, "Kiba… told me… to tell you… he was sorry…"

"For what?" Sasuke said, but they both knew so neither answered. A silence followed, slightly panicking Sasuke on the inside before Naruto started speaking again.

"Shika…maru," Naruto continued one, "was worried… because you sat… alone, cold… He told me… to take care… of you…"

"…" Sasuke was lost for words so kept quiet.

"Shino… apologizes for… the violence…and Sakura-chan… she told me… to stay by your side…to keep you… warm," Naruto said.

"What're you trying to say?" Sasuke muttered, his eyes hidden with his raven black bangs.

""Everybody knows… your coldness… and… your kindness… They can…forgive you… because… they know… you care… Everything…you said… was harsh…but always…the truth…"

"Why!?" Sasuke cried aloud, enough for the bodies around the ice cave hear him, "why is everybody else worried about _me_

"You met…Kiba…didn't you," Naruto stated rather than ask. Sasuke's eyes grew wide.

"Everybody knew… your gloves… missing. An Uchiha… wouldn't lose… such stupid… mistake," Naruto's sentence started to break and his grip weakened on Sasuke, falling to the ice ground.

"_Naruto!?_" Sasuke cried and whipped around.

Without thinking, Sasuke hugged Naruto tight in his arms to warm Naruto's frozen up body which was, even with the Kyuubi's chakra, at his limit and somewhere deep in Sasuke's hateful cold heart which started to ache, he knew it was already too late.

"...please don't die, dobe, please don't die," Sasuke whispered desperately, only his true instincts working and controlling his body movements, along with his voice.

"...Sa...suke," Naruto breathed, enough for Sasuke to hear, and he looked down to see Naruto form a small smile, "...you're crying."

Sasuke suddenly noticed that his cheeks were rather wet and uncontrollable tears were pouring from his eyes that were drowned in the image before him, feeling the uselessness and despair.

Sasuke suddenly was aware of the long period of silence and shook Naruto slightly calling his name.

"Naruto...?" Sasuke said as his voice shook in fear, hesitantly coming from his choking throat.

"...Sas...ke...," Naruto said again, a lot more distant sounding and slightly opening his severely weakened eyes to show Sasuke one last look at the blue crystallized iris he owned, "finally your ice melted..."

-

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	7. Chapter 6:Lost Forever

"_...Sas...ke...,_"

"_finally your ice melted..._"

-

Chapter 6: Lost forever

And with that, Naruto's eyes in turn, turned to ice before it was locked away to a place where Sasuke could no long reach.

Sasuke's heart was aware of the situation far earlier than any other part of himself, including his brain or mind and he felt a surge of burning heat flaring and all the heartstrings pulled in together the heart so hard that it was suffocating Sasuke till he was breathless. Too much pain was compelling inside him that he couldn't even find himself to cry aloud or bring out the tears which were a moment ago, falling freely down his frozen cheeks.

Small, disturbed cries barely escaped Sasuke's throat as he tried to cry and also inhale oxygen which he was lacking very much, but the pain was too unbearable to let the lungs function properly. Sasuke clutched his chest where his heart should be and leaned forward on Naruto.

Finally Sasuke's body found limit to the lacking oxygen and forced Sasuke to inhale air into his lungs which then gradually allowed Sasuke to sob fresh tears upon his team mate's body and let out a strangled cry and a breathless repeating word of an apology which would never reach any team mate's ears any longer.

The sensation of being alone and solitary gave a heavy weight in Sasuke's chest and his mind was swallowed by darkness again.

He was just too late...

_Too late..._

_--  
_

Scrunching of snow was heard soon after and bright light flashed into the cave blindingly but no one in the cave was there to squint at the light which shone like hope, yet only making tragedy more visible than ever.

People walked into the cave, but Sasuke didn't care nor look up since none of his senses seemed to work, as if all his body and mind broke down to the point that it will never recover again.

"Hey..." a soft voice that belonged to Neji called out to the blank-faced Sasuke who now only became a mere doll with glassy eyes that continuously streaked his cheeks with tears which never seemed to stop flowing.

Nevertheless, Neji kept talking to Sasuke, "Kiba told us the whereabouts of this team, and we're here to take you back home."

Neji tried to pull Sasuke's arms away from Naruto with a few struggles but when Lee, Kakashi and Gai came into the cave after Neji, Kakashi saw the problem and pulled Naruto away from Sasuke slowly, "Sasuke. We're going home. I'll take Naruto," and eventually, Sasuke's grip became loose and was pulled by Neji onto his back to carry him back to Konoha. Kakashi also took in Sakura over his shoulder while Gai and Lee took the rest of the team.

Neji couldn't help but notice Sasuke's cold body and finding that not even his back was helping Sasuke regain warmth. He was surprised to see Sasuke like this, broke to pieces like a mirror broken into millions of shards, but then again, this was Sasuke's second time losing many of who he cared for.

-

Three days after the rescue, Sasuke was still in bed with his muscles all limp and unusable. He needed rehabilitation to be able to walk again, but it was almost as if his insides were mentally dead with depression overload, not that it could be helped after a tragedy like so.

Sandaime, third Hokage, came to visit Sasuke in bed on the second day and apologized for being reckless to send such young ninjas to a dangerous mission, but Sasuke wasn't listening nor did any of the Hokage's words reach his ears. The only words that he heard were all Naruto's words which repeatedly filled his mind, driving him insane.

When he finished rehabilitation after two weeks and was released from hospital, he went around to all his team mates' houses and apologized to each family, having just enough consciousness to do so.

All parents were crying and some smiled at him while others shouted at him, and Sasuke received all sorts of words and emotions from people.

The hardest to cope was at Sakura's house where there was screaming from the mother.

"_Sorry isn't good enough! You stole my Sakura! Giver her back to me! Give my Sakura back you evil, twisted killer_!" she screamed with tears flowing down her fury-filled face which was scrunched in despair and wet with tears of sorrow.

Sasuke had his head bowed low and tears glinting on the shadowed face as he was guilty for Sakura's death the most as he reminisces the last words he ever said to the girl who had feelings for him.

_" Shut up Sakura! It's hell annoying. And if you didn't realize, the one's left excluding you don't even have a family"_

Sasuke regretted those words so badly that he would have done anything to take those words back.

Sasuke walked aimlessly around the village alone after leaving Sakura's house, feeling empty as if his soul contained nothing whatsoever while his face wasn't even able to make a single expression. Since his last hope of a team mate also left his side.

flashback

One week had passed and Neji often came to see Sasuke during that week. Sasuke had said he wanted to apologise to the Hyuuga family and with Neji, he was allowed to go out of hospital for a short period of time.

Sasuke walked with crutches over to the Hyuuga house with Neji supporting at his side, and he knelt before the Hyuuga family, apologizing for not being able to save his team mates, including Hinata.

On the way back to the hospital, a certain someone crossed Sasuke's mind and he rounded to Neji.

"Where's Kiba?" Sasuke asked, wondering why he wasn't there to visit him at the hospital.

Neji's lips turned to a line, looking grim before slowly opening his mouth to reveal the truth.

Sasuke and Neji went over to where Kiba was, which was back in the hospital, where Kiba was in a coma. It seemed that once Kiba had reached Konoha to get help, Kiba breathlessly told the whereabouts of the cave, before passing out. When he woke up a few days later, Kiba was taken to a place without explanation and then saw Akamaru get put down without a warning, right in front of him.

Akamaru wasn't going to be able to make it with any medical ninjutsu so it was the best solution for him, but Kiba couldn't take the shock and he lost consciousness to an unpredictable coma from mental shock.

"No..." Sasuke crumpled to the hospital floor beside Kiba's bed, "that's not fair... you getting to apologise then leaving me behind as well..."

Sasuke's mental breakdown this time was a light one, but nevertheless he was back in his own bed for a couple of days again with glassy eyes and unconscious body movements, auto-piloting his body.

end of flashback

Sasuke walked around the village, everywhere reminded him of someone who passed away, slipping from his grasp right in front of him. Sasuke was drowning deeper and deeper each day with the heavy feeling of guilt and the burning pain in his heart.

He wanted it to end.

He wanted everything to end.

Everybody noticed Sasuke's drowning presence and became a worried. Sasuke was making himself ill mentally and it was a matter of time before he broke down and became truly insane.

And those words spoke truth, Sasuke's legs had brought him to a cliff where Sasuke and Naruto came once in awhile to spar in their own free time, the one with slippery edges and pitch blackness at the bottom of the cliff where no one will be able to find any who will drop down there.

Sasuke looked down it and without much thought; he shifted a leg near the edge.

That was when Sasuke heard a voice from behind that he knew too well.

"No... it can't be," Sasuke whispered, not ever daring himself to look back to once again fall in despair after raising his hopes.

But his hopes hadn't betrayed him.

"Yes, it can. I was in a coma, but they didn't want to inform you that I could awaken because they didn't want to raise your hopes up for the worst."

Sasuke slowly turned around and widening his eyes at the sight before him as the person held out his arms, inviting Sasuke to an embrace.

Sasuke's legs weakened as he tumbled forward and landed in the person's warm arms, solid and real, not his eyes creating a hallucination. Finding that he wasn't dreaming nor had lost his mind, Sasuke wrapped his arm in an embrace, breaking down in tears as he heard the person spoke.

"It's okay now, _former_ ice prince," Sasuke heard a grin in that voice, "I'm here for you and always will be."

Sasuke longingly said out the name he thought he lost.

"_Naruto..._"

Naruto smiled.

"Tadaima, Sasuke..."

-

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end

* * *

*tadaima= I'm back

**Ryui**: Thank you to all the people who read this story, Ice Prince. It took this long to finish, but I finally made it to the end. I hope I can try to finish the other stories as well. Thanks for all the support, mainly to the people who faved and reviewed this story. Thank you for liking my not very well plotted nor structured story. I still can not believe how much people have bothered to read this story, I am very grateful. Thank you. ^^


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